The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-10-27


the piller to shct out the voices, end
wouldn't turn out again for no one."
Only fragments of Duckworth's narrative
reached Mr.. Marks ear, for the din of the
storm was terrific.
ssVoices?" shouted Mr. Marks interrog-
atively. "What d. you mean?'
Before Duckworth could shift his quid
to reply, head and pair Of shoulders
appeared above the ladder and stopped,
not daring to trespass on the privacy of
the bridge. The mate went over to see
what the man wanted. It was the Irish
sailor, and his jolly red round face was
wet with rain and white with fear. He
was dressed only in trousers and shirt,
and the latter was unbuttoned and Tapping
in the wind.
tsWhat do you want here?' shouted Mr..
Marks, savagely, irritated by these irreg-
ularities. "And what are you men up to
in the fo'c'sle2 Do you want to gel your
selves reported to the cap'nY'
cav ye plase, SOFT" !" shouted the Irish
man huskily. sthe boys asked me to come
and tell ye there's sperrits aboard, and the
bo'sun's clane gone mad"
The mate caught the word "sperrits, ;"
and jumped to the conclusion that the men
had smuggled some liquor on board
and were drinking themselves crazy.
'tSpirits?" he roared back. (which Of
you has got 'em?''
The man shook his head. s'It's not
them sperrits, sorr, worse luck-lt.s
voices; and the bo'sun's clane gone mad.
For the love av heaven, Mr.. Marks, come
for'ard and spake word to the boys. -
Telling Duckworth to keep sharp look
out ahead while he was away, the: mate
ran quickly down to the deck, with Grady
at his heels. 1t needed good pair OF sea
legs to avoid being wrecked against the
hatchways or capsized into the scuppers.
They had almost reached the fo'c'sle,
when suddenly the mate felt his arm
grabbed by the Irishman, and, turning on
him, saw Grady's face ablaze with excite
:ment. "Did ye hear that, sorr?" cried
the man. ''It's them sperrits againl
There, sorr, just listen to that!''
!: If Mr., Marks hearing had been as keen
as his sight, he might have been more i'm
pressed by the cry, wild with seeming
agony and faint with distance, which pen
etrated even the roar of the wind and the
Marks hearing had been damaged by par
tial drowning OFF the coast OF Spain, and,
though he listened intently, he heard no
voices except those of the ocean and the
air. Naturally concluding that Grady
was drunk, he laid hold of the man by his
beard and shirt collar, and, shaking him
savagely, flung him down, aided by lee
ward roll of the ship, under the wheels Of
the donkey engine, and almost toppled
after. his victim himself. Il In no palayer-
ing mood, he went on to the fo'c'sle and
stepped inside. 1t was very evident that
there was something wrong with the crew.
The men were huddled together by the
stove some in steauing oilskins, some
only in shirts and trousers, all looking
scared and all silent. In. the middle OF
the place Dredge, the bo'sun, stood,T half
clothed, with queer, wild expression on
his gnarled face, listening hard for some
thing or other. The eyes Of the men were
all fixed on him.. As Mr.. Marks stepped
in out of the wind and rain, the bo'sun
shouted hoarsely: CLARK, lads He's
calm of me again.! It's 1lim-it's Bill"
This time the mate heard the cry, or
thought he heard 1t, for it was very dis
tant, and was carried away again In the
thunder of, the gale. But he elbowed the
idea aside roughly; it was SO impossible
for any human being afoat on such sea
to make himself, heard above the roar of
the storm. "What's all this tonlfoolery
about?' he demanded of the men, angrily.
ssAnd what's the matter with you, bo'sun?
You ought to be ashamed Of yourself,
playing the fool in this way. Bo'sunp'
But the bo'sun heard nothing of the
reprimand He was eagerly listening for
the recurrence of that cry, his fists were
clenched, and the veins on his throat
stood out like cords. And when that
sound of human agony came wailing out
Of the storm again, his battered face lit
I'D with passion of love, and crying
aloud, ssIt's Bill! it's Bill! I'm COMM,
lad, I'm comin'!' he made bolt for the
.,.k; but Mr.. Marks stopped him.. and
they came down together. A couple OF
men pulled Dredge of the mate, and
helped the latter to his feet.
s'The mans drunk or mad" gasped Mr..
Marks, fetching his breath heavily after
the shock-Dredge had retreated up the
fo'c'sle-ssmad or drunk. How has he
come by the liquor? And who's this Bill
he's raving about?''
ttBill's his only son, sir, !" said one OF
the men in q scared way. And the lad
warn't well when we come out o. port,
and bo'sun he thinks as he hears the lad
calm of him for to help him or suthin'.
Nor it's not all tommyrot neither, Mr..
Marks, for we've heard them voices our
selves. Haven't we, boys?''
GAY, ay," chorused the men, wagginE
their heads; heard 'enl ourselves, wo
have, and more nor once.
But as he had been absent already far
too long from his post, and as it was be-.
meath his dignity to handy arguments
with the crew, Mr.. Marks pooh poohed.
the matter; and after warning them to
keep an eye on Dredge, and not to dare. to
hear any more ghostly voices at their
peril, went aft again to the bridge. ~,
When the second mate relieved him ut
8 o'clock he recounted briefly what had
happened, and advised Mr.. Bubble to keep
q sharp lookout on the fo'c'sle, and if any
further commotion occurred to let the
cap'n know at once. Mr.. Bubble had
quite forgotten the incident which had oc-
CURED in the chief mates watch, and he
was beginning to long for his bunk when
he was startled out of his drowsy COM
placency by the sound Of u wailinQ cry,
thin and distant and agonized, which the
wind seemed to bring to his ears out Of
the storm and the night. The man at the
wheel had heard, 1t, too, and turned
frightened face on the mate. Lord save
us!'' exclaimed the man, s'it's that there
voice againr'
The words were hardly spoken when
the door of the fo'c'slo was flung back and
O crowd of figures swar1ned out on deck.
Then the door of the f1remen's quarters
was opened, and three men came out with
a lamp. Seeing that something was
amles, the mate hurried down the COM
panionway to the cabin and reused the
skipper. Capt. Lawson was on deck
promptly, and after hearing Mr.. Rubble's
huddled narrative requested him to re-
turn to his duties on the bridge, and went
for ard himself.
The men were all congregated under
the shelter Of the weather bulwark, one
or two standing, the rest crouching down
together like lot of sheep. They had
turned out in oil sorts Of haphazard
clothing, and most Of them In bare feet.
They were all sulky and scared and silent
except one of the flremen, who was re-
heving his feelings in the choicest Ian
guage of the stokehole. The skipper wns
among them before they were aware.
''Now, my men," he demanded briskly,
ttwhat's oil this nonsense about2 Who
T.. &c.,. 1,Nf l{n